Thursday, September 29, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
The Wierd and the Wonderful
Offenders in Ala. town can choose jail or church
BAY MINETTE, Ala. — Authorities say non-violent offenders in southern Alabama will have a new choice: Go to jail, or go to church every Sunday for a year.
WKRG-TV reports….that Operation Restore Our Community begins next week.
The city judge in Bay Minette will let misdemeanor offenders choose to work off their sentences in jail and pay a fine; or go to church every Sunday for a year.
If offenders select church, they'll be allowed to pick the place of worship but must check in weekly with the pastor and police.
If the one-year church attendance program is completed, the offender's case will be dismissed.
Bay Minette Police Chief Mike Rowland says the program could change the lives of people heading down the wrong path. So far, 56 churches are participating.
Word of the Day
of·fend: \ə-ˈfend\
Origin: Middle English, from Anglo-French offendre, from Latin offendere to strike against, offend, from ob- against + -fendere to strike — more at ob-, defend
First Known Use: 14th century
Verb
1a : to transgress the moral or divine law : sin <if it be a sin to covet honor, I am the most offending soul alive — Shakespeare>; b : to violate a law or rule : do wrong <offend against the law>
2 a : to cause difficulty, discomfort, or injury <took off his shoe and removed the offending pebble>; b : to cause dislike, anger, or vexation <thoughtless words that offend needlessly>
3a : violate, transgress; b : to cause pain to : hurt
2 obsolete : to cause to sin or fall
3: to cause to feel vexation or resentment usually by violation of what is proper or fitting <was offended by their language>
— of·fend·er noun
More Vocabulary
Misdemeanor: n. a crime that is not very serious
Sentence: n. one formally pronounced by a court or judge in a criminal proceeding and specifying the punishment to be inflicted upon the convict
Worship: n. a form of religious practice with its creed and ritual
Love those Phrasal Verbs
- He worked off his debt by doing odd jobs.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Tuesday´s News
Día de las Culturas moved to create three-day break
There is another three-day holiday coming.
The Consejo Superior of the Poder Judicial is the latest entity to rule that workers in that branch of government should take Monday, Oct. 17, off. The normal day to celebrate Día de las Culturas is Oct. 12, which is a Wednesday this year.
Other branches of government are expected to adopt the same rule.
The Ministerio de Trabajo y Seguridad Social already has announced that the holiday will be celebrated Oct.17 for private enterprises. Holidays usually can only be moved around with the approval of the ministry.
So Oct. 17, becomes a holiday with obligatory pay. But that term means nothing to most companies. Most firms still have to give their employees the day off or they have to pay double. Only a small fraction of companies that pay their employees weekly can avoid holiday pay.
Word of the Day
en·ti·ty: \ˈen-tə-tē, ˈe-nə-\
Origin: Medieval Latin entitas, from Latin ent-, ens existing thing, from coined present participle of esse to be — more at is
First Known Use: 1596
Noun
1 a: being, existence; especially : independent, separate, or self-contained existence; b: the existence of a thing as contrasted with its attributes
2: something that has separate and distinct existence and objective or conceptual reality
3: an organization (as a business or governmental unit) that has an identity separate from those of its members
More Vocabulary
Rule: v. to determine and declare authoritatively
Term: n. a point in time assigned to something (as a payment)
Monday, September 26, 2011
Monday's News
FAMILY PORTRAIT by Pink
Exercise: Fill the gaps with one of the prepositions shown below:about, around, at, away, back, from, out, to, up
Your pain is painful and it's tearing me down.
I hear glasses breaking, as I sit .................. in my bed.
I told dad you didn’t mean those nasty things you said.
You fight ..................t money, .................. me and my brother
And this I come home ..................; this is my shelter.
It ain’t easy growing .................. .................. World War III,
Never knowing what love could be. You’ll see
I don’t want love .................. destroy me, like it has done .................. my family
Can we work it ..................? Can we be a family?
I promise I’ll be better, Mommy, I’ll do anything
Can we work it ..................? Can we be a family?
I promise I’ll be better. Daddy please don’t leave.
Daddy please stop yelling; I can’t stand the sound.
Make mama stop crying, 'coz I need you ...................
My mama, she loves you, no matter what she says. It's true
I know that she hurts you, but remember I love you, too.
I ran .................. today, ran .................. the noise, ran ..................
(I) Don’t want .................. go .................. to that place, but don’t have no choice, no way.
It ain’t easy growing .................. in World War III,
Never knowing what love could be. Well, I've seen
I don’t want love .................. destroy me, like it did my family.
Can we work it ..................? Can we be a family?
I promise I’ll be better, Mommy, I’ll do anything.
Can we work it ..................? Can we be a family?
I promise I’ll be better; Daddy please don’t leave.
.................. our family portrait; we look pretty happy.
Let’s play pretend; let's act like it comes naturally.
I don’t want .................. have .................. split the holidays;
I don’t want two addresses. I don’t want a step-brother anyways
And I don’t want my mom .................. have .................. change her last name.
.................. our family portrait, we look pretty happy.
We look pretty normal; let's go .................. .................. that.
.................. our family portrait we look pretty happy.
Let's play pretend - act like it comes naturally.
.................. our family portrait, we look pretty happy.
(Can we work it ..................? Can we be a family?)
We look pretty normal; let's go .................. .................. that.
(I promise I’ll be better, Mommy I’ll do anything)
.................. our family portrait, we look pretty happy
(Can we work it ..................? Can we be a family?)
Let's play pretend - act like it comes so naturally.
(I promise I’ll be better, Daddy please don't leave)
.................. our family portrait, we look pretty happy.
(Can we work it ..................? Can we be a family?)
We look pretty normal; let's go .................. .................. that.
(I promise I’ll be better, Daddy please don't leave)
Daddy don’t leave. (x3)
Turn .................. please;
Remember that the night you left you took my shining star?
Daddy don’t leave. (x3)
Don't leave us here alone.
Mom will be nicer.
I’ll be so much better; I’ll tell my brother.
Oh, I won’t spill the milk .................. dinner.
I’ll be so much better; I’ll do everything right.
I’ll be your little girl forever;
I’ll go to sleep .................. night.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
The Wierd and the Wonderful
Home seller offers $1,000 in booze to buyer
A grand's worth of food and drink at Grandpa’s Place, the bar across the street, if you buy now!
From: www.msnbc.comGLENVIEW, Ill. — Drink for free at the local watering hole and make it home in seconds. That’s what one Glenview, Ill., homeowner is offering as a way to set apart her 3-bedroom townhouse in a down real estate market.
Melanie Gravdal has been struggling to sell the unit, so she's decided to offer a unique incentive to stoke interest: $1,000 worth of food and drink at Grandpa’s Place, the bar across the street, to whomever buys the house.
“We weren’t getting very much traffic because there was so much competition in the market,” said Gravdal, of Glenview, a suburb about 18 miles north of Chicago. “We live in a place where restaurants and bars come within walking distance so we thought this was a way to cross-promote the neighborhood and our homes.”
Gravdal and her husband, who live in the house with their 2-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son, are looking to move back to California.
The family first put their house on the market in June, but with a bevy of similar townhomes in the area, interest was hard to come by. Yet prospects have picked up since she suggested the bar promotion to her realtor, Missy Jerfita, around Labor Day.
“Before the promotion we had two showings in seven weeks," Gravdal said. "Since the promotion, we’ve had nine. It used to be that sellers would make cookies for buyers to show them that they were good. Now the onus is on the seller tosweeten the deal.”
After dropping the price $25,000, the house is currently listed at $450,000, just slightly below the average for a 3-bedroom townhouse. At Grandpa's, fliers for the promotion are posted all over the bar area.
"It’s become kind of a talking point," said Mike Maginot, the general manager at Grandpa's. "As far as whether it’s going to work I don’t know. The rallying point seems to be actually how to spend the $1,000s. The best idea I’ve heard is a family of four coming in once or twice a month, enjoying a meal and going on their way."
Word of the Day
\ˈgrand\
Origin: Anglo-French grant, grand, large, great, grand, from Latin grandis
First Known Use: 1548
Adjective
1 a: having more importance than others: foremost; b : having higher rank than others bearing the same general designation <the grand champion>
2 a: inclusive, comprehensive <the grand total of all money paid out>; b: definitive, incontrovertible <grand example
3: chief, principal
4: large and striking in size, scope, extent, or conception <grand design>
5 a: lavish, sumptuous <a grand celebration>; b: marked by a regal form and dignity; c: fine or imposing in appearance or impression; d: lofty, sublime <writing in the grand style>
6 a: pretending to social superiority: supercilious; b: intended to impress <a person of grand gestures>
7: very good : wonderful <a grand time>
Noun
1: grand piano
2 plural grand slang : a thousand dollars
More Vocabulary
Incentive: n. something that incites or has a tendency to incite to determination or action
Onus: n. Latin burden
Stoke: v. to increase the activity, intensity, or amount of
Idioms & Phrases
- The dealer sweetened the deal by throwing in free car washes.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Monday's News
Costa Rica's Coffee Solves Identity Crisis
From: www.insidecostarica.com
Coffee from Costa Rica just received a self-identity seal that sets it apart from ordinary coffee, as it lifts it to the category of “prestige” coffee. The seal, in the form of a geographic identity, will certify that the coffee was grown in Costa Rica and contains no beans from other regions. This new status was compared to the descriptions of wine that identify certain ones as from designated provinces.
The trademark, awarded a week ago by the CR Ministry of Agriculture, designates that the air, climate and soil of Costa Rica produce particular qualities unique to the region. The designation is placed on other produce as well, such as bananas. Crops grown in Costa Rica share unique qualities that set them apart, according to this labeling.
According to writer Rod Hughes, the sophistication of US coffee drinkers has risen remarkably from the days of the “one size fits all approach” exemplified by brands such as Maxwell House, Chase & Sanborn and others. He also gives credit to new brewing methods as contributing to the sophistication rise, which he says has created a demand for high mountain coffees from Colombia and Costa Rica – think third wave.
The best brewing method, he states, for brewing “gourmet coffee”, is the European way:
• Place the coffee grounds in a bowl or any container with a wide mouth;
• Boil water separately;
• Pour the hot water into the grounds;
• Stir gently to make sure every particle gets wet;
• Pour the bowl contents through a filter.
Note: Paper filters are acceptable to all but the most finicky European and Costa Rican coffee drinkers, who swear by the cloth filter.
Hughes suggests for the most superb Costa Rican coffee, try a boutique one or a geographical one such as a Tarrazu. ROAST which has several Tarrazu coffees and others; all ROAST Costa Ricans are single origin coffees.
Word of the Day
or·di·nary: \ˈȯr-də-ˌner-ē\
Origins: Middle English ordinarie, from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin ordinarius, from Latin ordinarius, adjective
First Known Use: 14th century
Noun1 a (1): a prelate exercising original jurisdiction over a specified territory or group (2) : a clergyman appointed formerly in England to attend condemned criminals; b : a judge of probate in some states of the United States
2: often capitalized : the parts of the Mass that do not vary from day to day
3: the regular or customary condition or course of things —usually used in the phrase out of the ordinary
4 a, British : a meal served to all comers at a fixed price; b chiefly British : a tavern or eating house serving regular meals
5: a common heraldic charge (as the bend) of simple form
Adjective1: of a kind to be expected in the normal order of events: routine, usual <an ordinary day>
2: having or constituting immediate or original jurisdiction; also: belonging to such jurisdiction
3 a: of common quality, rank, or ability <an ordinary teenager>; b : deficient in quality : poor, inferior <ordinary wine>
More Vocabulary
Finicky: adj. extremely or excessively particular, exacting, or meticulous in taste or standards
Third wave: n. a force of change fueled by knowledge and disseminated by information technology
Prestige: n. standing or estimation in the eyes of people: weight or credit in general opinion
Produce: n. agricultural products and especially fresh fruits and vegetables as distinguished from grain and other staple crops
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Thursday Tidbit-Less or -ful
-less or -ful
There are many words in the English language that end in the suffixes –less or –ful. The root word Less means “not sufficient or lacking in” while full , is it’s opposite meaning ”complete or a lot of.” The list below contains root words that take on either less or ful. However, be careful! Not all root words can take on both suffixes (i.e. a team can be winless, but it can’t be winful). Here is a list of words that can use both suffixes, which basically have the opposite meaning.
-less | -ful |
| Useless | Useful |
| Meaningless | Meaningful |
| Flavorless | Flavorful |
| Merciless | Merciful |
| Careless | Careful |
| Colorless | Colorful |
| Helpless | Helpful |
| Thoughtless | Thoughtful |
| Purposeless | Purposeful |
| Painless | Painful |
Check Yourself
Underline the correct word to complete the sentence.1. I’m glad my boss worked with me a lot on the project because I had no clue. He was very (helpful / helpless).
2. Some people can handle getting a tattoo, but I can’t. I think it is too (painful / painless).
3. If you speak to me in a language I don’t understand, it is (meaningful / meaningless) to me.
4. This food has no spices or anything. It is completely (flavorful / flavorless).
5. My younger brother spends all his time playing video games. When it comes to helping around the house, he is (useful / useless).
6. The visiting team beat us 63-0 in football. They were completely (merciful / merciless).
7. I need you to be (careful / careless) when picking up the baby.
8. The scenic views in Costa Rica are very (colorful / colorless).
9. He has thought of every detail for the project. He works in a very (purposeful / purposeless) manner.
10. My co-workers gave me some flowers while I was in the hospital. They were extremely (thoughtless / thoughtful).
Answers to last week’s Check Yourself
1. I received a phone call (during / for) my lunch hour.2. He studied at Harvard (for / during) three years.
3. I have been awake (during / for) one hour.
4. I really enjoy ice skating (during / for) the winter.
5. She has been wearing glasses (during / for) at least 5 years.
6. The police intervened (for / during) the riots.
7. Class usually lasts (during / for) 3 hours.
8. I waited in line at the bank (during / for) a long time.
9. I don’t like it when people call me (during / for) dinner time.
10. He has a hard time seeing while driving (during / for) the night.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
The Wierd and the Wonderful
Tourists stranded after booking hotel on wrong side of the world
From: http://www.telegraph.co.uk
Eastbourne, East Sussex (left) and Eastbourne, New Zealand
South African holidaymakers searching for their hotel with "splendid views" of the pier in Eastbourne, Sussex, had one problem. They were 12,000 miles away in Eastbourne, New Zealand.
Michael and Sunette Adendorff thought something was wrong with their hire car's GPS as they drove around in circles in the Wellington suburb, looking for the £90-a-night Majestic Hotel on Royal Parade.
When they pulled into the local chemist's shop to ask directions, they were shocked to discover that Eastbourne (population 4,600), New Zealand, does not even have a hotel.
Shop assistant Linda Burke said: "They just walked in and asked me where Royal Parade was, with the Majestic Hotel.
"I said: Oh no, there's no hotel here.
"I looked at it and said: That's in the UK, that's in England.
"He checked on the internet and said he did think it was funny they charged him in pounds."
Ms Burke rang around but discovered all the local bed and breakfast places were full, so she offered them a room for the night in her house.
The couple, who were exploring New Zealand while visiting the country to watch South Africa play in the Rugby World Cup, had mistakenly booked into the hotel in Eastbourne, Sussex, on the internet.
"I booked into the right hotel, just in the wrong country," Mr Adendorff told the Dominion Post newspaper.
Despite the good-natured ribbing they received, the couple said Eastbourne was very nice and the locals were friendly.
"I don't know how Eastbourne in England popped up in the comparisons on the internet," Mr Adendorff said.
They were unable to get a refund from the Majestic Hotel because their cancellation was at such short notice.
Word of the Day
Chemist
chem·ist: \ˈke-mist\
Origin: New Latin chimista, short for Medieval Latin alchimista
First Known Use: 1562
Noun
1a, obsolete: alchemist; b: one trained in chemistry
2 British: pharmacist
chem·ist: \ˈke-mist\
Origin: New Latin chimista, short for Medieval Latin alchimista
First Known Use: 1562
Noun
1a, obsolete: alchemist; b: one trained in chemistry
2 British: pharmacist
More Vocabulary
Holidaymaker: n. chiefly British: vacationer
Pound: n. the basic monetary unit of the United Kingdom —called also pound sterling
Ribbing: n. friendly jokes about someone
Pound: n. the basic monetary unit of the United Kingdom —called also pound sterling
Ribbing: n. friendly jokes about someone
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Tuesday´s News
Acapulco woman makes street children her mission
Ask Rosa Maria Cruz-Muller how many children she has, and she'll answer you with a shrug. The answer is in the hundreds, perhaps thousands. The 53-year-old government employee has three biological children. The rest she rescued from the streets took them home and gave them a new life ... away from drugs, abuse and an early death.
Everybody calls her Mama Rosy. She describes herself as somebody who "gives love to street children." By all accounts, she has done that for a long time.
For more than three decades, Mama Rosy's mission has been to rescue children from the streets in the Mexican beach resort of Acapulco. Where others see petty criminals, drug addicts and young prostitutes, she sees abandoned children in need of love.
She goes to places many would consider dangerous, looking for children nobody cares about. Most often, she walks around a bridge near the Acapulco pier, where many street children find shelter from the tropical sun.
During a recent walk around the bridge, Mama Rosy gave some children clothes. She took two boys who were particularly hungry to a nearby supermarket and bought them food and sandals with her own money. "They need so much love," she said as she saw them walking away.
She has gained the children's trust by always being available, always. "I go with them and I talk to them and when a new one comes here the other ones (tell) him, 'Here's Mama Rosy. When you need something, this is the address, go with her' and it's like a chain," Mama Rosy says.
She also frequently goes to the pier looking for children begging for money or doing drugs. This is also a place where they're picked up by pedophiles so her goal is to try to get them away from there as soon as possible.
One of the children she rescued is now a young man who works at the pier maintaining boats. As soon as he sees her at the pier, he comes out of the water and gives her a wet hug.
Children are welcome at her home in downtown Acapulco 24 hours a day, where they can always get a hot meal and a shower. Others keep coming back now as adults with a family; Mama Rosy already counts 24 non-biological grandchildren.
Dythra Lopez, who was lost in a world of drugs when Mama Rosy found her at age 16, is now a manager at a convenience store. No matter how much she resisted, no matter how many times she ran away, Mama Rosy, she says, was always asking her to quit drugs in a loving, patient way. "She earned our love, trust and respect little by little and became like a mother to us, the mother none of us had," Lopez said.
But for every success story there’s heartbreak. Many of the kids she tries to rescue simply disappear without leaving any trace. Others move to different cities. Some have been violently murdered or ended up serving prison time.
Last year a 16-year-old girl who called herself "Jahaira" and who, according to Mama Rosy, was working as a street prostitute to pay for her drug habit suddenly became ill. Mama Rosy took her to the hospital where doctors gave her a serious diagnosis. She was dying of AIDS. Mama Rosy scrambled to find any relatives and managed to bring Jahaira's grandmother to her death bed. The 16-year-old girl died the following day.
Mama Rosy cries as she reads letters from Jahaira. "I always remember her. She was a beautiful girl. Very happy, how do you say, traviesa, a prankster! But she was only a girl and only 16 years old."
Mama Rosy has three biological children, including Vanessa Santoyo, who routinely helps with the children who suffer from both physical and emotional wounds. Santoyo describes her mother as her "hero; the best mom of the world for me and the other kids."
Her nonstop labor of love also includes visiting marginalized neighborhoods, bringing gifts and hope. Mama Rosy admits that sometimes it's overwhelming, but says she's not about to stop helping children anytime soon. "As long as there are children in need," she says, "there will always be Mama Rosy for them."
Word of the Day
Origin: Middle English, from Old English wund; akin to Old High German wunta wound
First Known Use: before 12th century
Noun
1: a : an injury to the body (as from violence, accident, or surgery) that typically involves laceration or breaking of a membrane (as the skin) and usually damage to underlying tissues b : a cut or breach in a plant usually due to an external agent
2: a mental or emotional hurt or blow
3: something resembling a wound in appearance or effect; especially : a rift in or blow to a political body or social group
Move Vocabulary
Chain: n. a series of things linked, connected, or associated together
Decade: n. a period of 10 years
Marginalize: v. to relegate to an unimportant or powerless position within a society or group
Overwhelm: v. to affect (someone) very strongly
Petty: adj. having little or no importance or significance
Pier: n. a structure (as a breakwater) extending into navigable water for use as a landing place or promenade or to protect or form a harbor
Love those Phrasal Verbs
- Randall ran away from home three times.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Thursday Tidbit - For or during?
For/during
During
In English, we use the preposition during express a period of time or event during which, another thing happens. Here are some examples:
Someone turned off the music during the party.
During my high school years, I was very active in sports.
We always go to the beach during the summer months.
For
There are many uses of for in English, however when referring to time, it is used to express a period of time in which something was happening for the entire length of the time period mentioned. Here are some examples:
I’ve lived in the same apartment for 12 years.
I traveled in Spain for 3 months.
He was exercising for 2 hours.
Check Yourself
1. I received a phone call (during / for) my lunch hour.
2. He studied at Harvard (for / during) three years.
3. I have been awake (during / for) one hour.
4. I really enjoy ice skating (during / for) the winter.
5. She has been wearing glasses (during / for) at least 5 years.
6. The police intervened (for / during) the riots.
7. Class usually lasts (during / for) 3 hours.
8. I waited in line at the bank (during / for) a long time.
9. I don’t like it when people call me (during / for) dinner time.
10. He has a hard time seeing while driving (during / for) the night.
Answers to last week’s Grammar Tidbits
2. There is a lot of cat hair (in / into) my pockets.
3. Can you put some ice cubes (in / into) my drink, please?
4. They called the contestants (on / onto) the stage.
5. I entered the information (in / into) the computer.
6. He kept looking (in / into) my eyes.
7. He put too many spices (in / into) the tacos.
8. The cat jumped (onto / on) the table.
9. They sent the shuttle (in / into) space.
10. You should put your computer (into / in) your trunk when parking.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
The Wierd and the Wonderful
Alaska woman punches bear in face to save her tiny dog
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A 22-year-old Alaska woman said on Wednesday she punched a black bear in the face to save her small dog from being carried off and possibly eaten.
Juneau resident Brooke Collins said she hit the bear Sunday night to save the life of her dachshund, Fudge. She said she discovered the bear crouched down, clutching Fudge in its paws and biting the back of the dog's neck.
"It had her kind of like when they eat salmon," Collins said Wednesday. "I was freaking out. I was screaming at it. My dog was screaming. I ran up to it ... I just punched it right in the snout and it let go."
Collins said her boyfriend then scared the bear away. "I think it was more startled than anything," she said.
Collins, a hairdresser who has lived in Juneau most of her life, said she is accustomed to bears and knows how to take precautions around them.
She also knew about this particular bear before Sunday's attack because it has been hanging around the neighborhood.
In this case, however, Fudge darted out the door before anyone checked the vicinity, she said.
The dog, an older female, was not seriously hurt in the attack, but Collins said she is tending to the animal's wounds and keeping her inside for now. Collins said she is also taking other precautions with her second dog.
Black bears frequently roam the downtown section of Alaska's capital city, which rests against a steep mountain slope and is surrounded by a dense rain forest.
Bear encounters are on the rise this year, despite efforts by local residents to lock away garbage and remove items that might attract the animals, said Neil Barton, a Juneau-based biologist for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
"This year, I think, is a lot worse than last year. I would attribute that to lack of a berry crop," Barten said.
Production of berries around Juneau has been poor this summer, removing a key food source from the bears' diets.
"If they are not available, the bears look for other sources of food," he said.
Bears and dogs sometimes snarl at each other, but actual attacks on dogs are unusual, he said.
Collins said her dog Fudge has chased bears but never been attacked before.
The black bear she punched returned Tuesday, she said, because it was a trash pick-up day.
Word of the Day
at·tri·bute: \ˈa-trə-ˌbyüt\
Noun
Origin: Middle English, from Latin attributus, past participle of attribuere to attribute, from ad- + tribuere to bestow — more at tribute
First Known Use: 14th century
1: an inherent characteristic; also : an accidental quality
2: an object closely associated with or belonging to a specific person, thing, or office <a scepter is the attribute of power>; especially : such an object used for identification in painting or sculpture
3: a word ascribing a quality; especially : adjective
More Vocabulary
Crouch: v. to lower the body stance especially by bending the legs
Snarl: v. to growl with a snapping, gnashing, or display of teeth
Snout: n. the part of an animal's head projecting forward and containing the nose and jaws; muzzle
Tend: v. to apply oneself to the care of : watch over
Love those Phrasal Verbs
We have nothing to do on Saturday night but hang out.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Tuesday´s News
Costa Rica Study Results: More Beans, Less White Rice Tied To Less Diabetes
(Reuters Health) -- Beans and rice are a classic combination throughout the western hemisphere, but a study in Costa Rica finds that the bean half of the equation may be better for health.
Among nearly 2,000 men and women, researchers found that people who regularly swapped a serving of white rice for one of beans had a 35 percent lower chance of showing symptoms that are usually precursors to diabetes.
"Rice is very easily converted into sugar by the body. It's very highly processed, it's pure starch and starch is a long chain of glucose," said Frank Hu, a professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, who was part of the study team.
"Beans compared with rice contain much more fiber, certainly more protein and they typically have a lower glycemic index - meaning they induce much lower insulin responses," he told Reuters Health.
Hu's group looked at the diets of nearly 1,900 Costa Rican men and women participating in a study of risk factors for heart disease between 1994 and 2004. None of the participants had diabetes at the start of the study.
As Costa Rica has become richer and more urbanized, rice consumption has risen while intake of beans has fallen, Hu said. Meanwhile, the rate of diabetes in the country has soared.
The extra rice might be at least partly to blame, the Harvard group concludes. They found that people who ate more white rice over time had higher blood pressure and elevated levels of sugar and harmful fats in their blood as well as lower levels of "good" cholesterol.
Those factors, along with a high waist circumference, are all elements of the so-called metabolic syndrome, which is a major risk factor for both type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
People who ate at least two servings of beans for every serving of white rice tended to be at lower risk for metabolic syndrome. In those who substituted a serving of beans for a serving of white rice the risk of metabolic syndrome was reduced by 35 percent, the researchers report in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Although rice may be a larger part of diets outside the U.S., the findings have important implications in this country, Hu said. Americans are consuming more rice than ever, up from 9.5 pounds per person in 1980 to 21 pounds per person in 2008, government figures show. Consumption of dry beans is markedly lower, at about seven pounds a year per person, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
That's a bad trend, said Hu, especially if people are eating white rice rather than brown rice. From the body's perspective, a serving of white rice "is like eating a candy bar - the fiber and other nutrients are stripped away," said Hu, who added that the trend "will have long-term metabolic effects."
"It would be useful to introduce more legumes, including beans, into our diet to replace white rice and some of the red meat," he told Reuters Health.
The Harvard team's findings do not prove that white rice raises diabetes risk or that beans lower it.
In previous research, Hu and his colleagues have found that eating brown rice may protect against type 2 diabetes.
"It doesn't surprise me that you get better health outcomes in bean eaters," said David Jenkins, a nutrition researcher at the University of Toronto who developed the concept of the glycemic index to help diabetics gauge the effect various foods would have on their blood sugar. "Beans are notable among plant foods" for having a modest effect on blood sugar, he explained.
Although Jenkins said the health benefits of different beans might vary, "as a class they hang together pretty well, and much more uniformly than other foods."
Word of the Day
hemi·sphere: \ˈhe-mə-ˌsfir\
Origin: Middle English hemispere, from Latin hemisphaerium, from Greek hēmisphairion, from hēmi- + sphairion, diminutive of sphaira sphere
First Known Use: 14th century
Noun
1a : a half of the celestial sphere as divided into two halves by the horizon, the celestial equator, or the ecliptic; b : half of a spherical or roughly spherical body (as a planet); specifically : the northern or southern half of the earth as divided by the equator or the eastern or western half as divided by a meridian; c : the inhabitants of a terrestrial hemisphere
2: realm, province
3: one of two half spheres formed by a plane through the sphere's center
4: a map or projection of a celestial or terrestrial hemisphere
5: cerebral hemisphere
More Vocabulary
Epidemiology: n. a branch of medical science that deals with the incidence, distribution, and control of disease in a population
Gauge: v. estimate, judge
Legume: n. the fruit or seed of plants of the legume family (as peas or beans) used for food
Swap: v. exchange
Monday, September 5, 2011
Monday's News
Exercise
Watch the video and then try to unscramble the words below.
kplalbar _________________________
ebule hpcip _________________________
enomtoblit __________________________
kbreeeanv __________________________
wlasloec __________________________
mumtocer __________________________
gzinsdwnoi __________________________
eewrayf __________________________
gererm __________________________
smooe __________________________
zetprel __________________________
arnooc __________________________
hqasus ___________________________
wsbauy ___________________________
rlwiteolarh ___________________________
Answer´s to last week´s video exercise.
Anchovy - a small fish that has a salty flavor
Dauntless - fearless
Lackluster - lacking in sheen, brilliance, or vitality: dull, mediocre
Puppy dog - a domestic dog; especially: one having the lovable attributes of a puppy
Besmirch - to cause harm or damage to (the reputation of someone or something)
Eyeball - the entire round part of the eye
Hobnob - to associate familiarly
Plaque - a flat thin piece (as of metal) used for decoration
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